Vehicle.



No, 702,504. Patented June 17, I902.

vF. STRATTUN.

VEHICLE.

(Application filed July 8, 1900.) (lwvmodem 3 Sheets-Sheet I.

Witnesses. I '7 r z Q I .lnvenmr' Attomzy.

m: norms Pawns c0. Prwrcmmo" WASHINGTON. D. c.

Patented June l7, I902. F. STRATTON.

i 3 Sheets-Sheet 2.

VEHICLE.

(Application filed July 8, 1900.) (No Model.)

N0. 702,504. v I Patented lune l7, I902.

F. STRATTON.

I VEHICLE.

(Application flied-Jul s, 1900.

(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

Witnesses.

of my improved wagon.

front axle.

UNITED STATES PATE T OFFICE.

FRANKLINSTRATTON, OF BUFFALO, NEW-YORK.

VEHICLE.

sPncrFrcArroN forming part f Letters Patent No. 7Q2,504,'dated June 17, 1902.

f Applicationliiled July 3,1900.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that LIFR'ANKLIN STRATTON, a citizen of the United States,residingin Buffalo, in the county of Erie and State of New York, have. invented certain newanduseful Improvements in Vehicles, of which the following is a specification.

In vehicles, wagons, and the likeas at present constructed the weight has to be placed upon a central'point in order-to exert equal pressure upon the springs and maintain the body level, as each spring acts independent of the others and weightplaced upon or near one'end acts upon the spring'or springs supporting that end, only. Another disadvantage with some classes of vehicles at pres ent is that in traveling over a rough road the vehicles receive a sort of teetering motion, bouncing up and down alternately at each end and rendering the riding very disagreeable and dangerous. Y

My invention is designed to obviate the above by maintaining an even pressure upon the springs and sustaining the vehicle-body approximately level and each end of said body at substantially the same distance from the axle and running-gear, no matter where the load may be placedor how rough the road. may be. To accomplish this, I connect the body and running-gear of my improved Ve-" hicle to each other by equalizing devices, which cause the ends of the body to rise and fall equally, and thusjdistribute the pressure of the load equally upon the springs and maintain the body practically level.

It also relates to'certain details of construction, all of which will be fully and clearly hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which-- 7 Figure 1 represents a top plan view ofthe preferred construction of the running-gear Fig. 2 is aside elevation of the running-gear and the bottom of the body, showing'the body in its elevated unloaded position. Fig. 3 is asection on line a a, Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a detached view of one of the crank-arms. Fig5 isa detached view of the plate securing the reach-rods to the Fig. 6 is an enlarged detached view of one of the socketed plates for 'se- SerialNo. 22,399. (Nomocleli) curing the rear ends of the reach-rods to the rear axle. Fig. 7 is a detached view of' one of the-socketed plates for securing the substantially'V-shaped rod to the reach-rods. Fig. 8 is a side elevation of the running-gear and body-bottom in a depressed position with a load placed at one end thereof. Fig. 9 is a transverse section on line b b, Fig. 8. 10=is an enlarged detached view of one ofthe cranked equalizing-rods. .Fig. 11 is an en larged detached view of the bent stop,-also showing fragments of the rods connecting the crank-arms to the body.

In-referring to the'drawings for the details of construction like numerals designate like parts.

1 and 2 designatethe front head-block and rear axle, which are formed in the usual and well-known way.

The body.3 is fastened to the front and rear bolsters 4 and 5 by means of the angular rods 6, one end of each rod being bolted to-the body and the other secured to one of the bolsters. Elliptic springs 7 are interposed between the axles and bed-pieces and fastened in place in any Well-known manner.

The front block 1 and rear axle 2 are connected by a reach,.which in the adaptation of my invention shown in the accompanying drawings consists of the straight rods 8 and the *V-shaped rods 9. The rods 8 are rotatably secured at theirforward ends to the front axleblock bymeans of a plate 10, which is rigidly fastened'to the under surface of the block and has two socketed portions 11, through the openings in which the forward ends of the rods are passed,'being secured against longitudinal movement by the outer lock-nuts 12; Therods 8 gradually diverge from each otherfrorn' the front axle-block to the rear axle,.(seerFig. 1,) and are rota tably secured to the "rear axle by independent plates 13, the rear ends of the rods being passed through the openings in the sockets 14 of the plates and secured inplace bythe inner and outer lock-nuts 15 and 16. The

forward and rear ends of the rods 8 are screwthreaded to receive these lock-nuts 12, 15, and 16, and an intermediateportion of each rod is screw-threaded at 17 to receive a'sock-' eted portion 18, which is rigidly clamped to the rod between the front and rear lock-nuts l9 and 20. The V-shaped rod 9 has a truncated end, and the transverse forward portion of said rod is securely fastened to each of the socketed portions 18 by the bolts 21. The stems of the rod 9 extend rearwardly from the transverse portion and diverge from each other at a greater angle than the angle of divergence of the straight rods 8 and are each fastened to the rear axle near the ends thereof by the clips 22. The rods 8 are mounted in the several sockets 11, 14, and 18, so as to be capable of a rotatable movement therein, and connections are provided between the rods and the body, so that the depression of one end of said body will partially rotate the rods and by means of similar connections draw the other end down an equal distance. These connections preferablyconsist in rigidly fastening crank-arms 23 at or near each end of each rod 8 and pivotally connecting each of said crank-arms to the lower end of a rod 24, which is pivoted at its upper end to the body. These crank-arms 23 are preferably constructed in the form shown in Fig. 4: and are locked against independent rotation on the rods 8 by the screws 25.

A transverse equalizing device is also employed to prevent a load placed upon one side of the body, as shown in Fig. 9, from depressing that side only. This preferably consists in rotatably mounting a rod 26 on the rear bolster, said rod having crank ends 27, which are pivoted to the upper ends of rods 28, having their lower ends pivoted to the rear axle. While these transverse equalizing devices may be attached to both ends of the vehicle, it is hardly necessary to employ more than one with the ordinary light vehicle, such as a buggy or trap.

A stop is utilized to prevent the crank-arms getting over the center and is preferably in the form shown in Fig. 11, having a main portion 29 fastened to the body and arms which extend between the rods connecting the cranlc arms to the body and limit the inward move ment of said arms toward each other.

The operation of the invention will be clearly understood from the foregoing description and the accompanying drawings.

The rods 8 act not only as parts of the reach, but also as connecting-rods for the equalizing device, and thereby lessen the number of parts required in myimproved Wagon. As the springs act together and not independently, each carrying an equal portion of the weight or load or receiving an equal amount of the jolt or shock, they can be made lighter and more elastic.

I claim as my invention- 1. A vehicle or the like having a front block and a rear axle, a reach having rotatable rods connecting said front block and rear axle, front and rear crank-arms extending from said rods, a body, springs between said body and the front block and rear axle, connections between the front and rear crank-arms and the respective extremes of the body, a.

rotatable transverse rod supported by the body, crank-arms extending from said rod and connections between the crank-arms and one of the axles, substantially as set forth.

2. In a vehicle or the like, the-combination with the body, front block and rear axle and springs between said block and axle and the body, of a reach connecting said front block and rear axle and having two rods rotatably supported from the block and axle, crankarms rigidly mounted on said rods and rods pivoted at their ends to the body and the ends of the crank-arms, a transverse rod rotatably supported by the body above the axle or block and two-part pivotally-joined connections between the transverse rod and the ends of the axle or block, substantially as set forth.

FRANKLIN STRATTON.

Witnesses:

L. M. BILLINGS, G. A. NEUBAUER. 

